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Wales Leasing

Did You Know?

One of the longest place names in the world, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch is the name of a town in north Wales which translates as ‘The church of St Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave’.

It doesn’t matter where you are in Wales, you’ll not be far from a castle. Perhaps your life has been lacking castles (it happens), in which case why not explore a Welsh castle a day for a couple of years? Too intense. But yes, with over 600 castles to choose from, any itch for history you have will be scratched.

Considered by many as the greatest children’s storyteller of all time, Roald Dahl and his wonderful collection of books are an integral part of growing up (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach). What some don’t know is that he was born in the Llandaff area of Cardiff in Wales and spent his early years there. It’s thought that at the tender age of seven, whilst attending Llandaff Cathedral School his acute sense for mischief started forming.

Wales has been immortalised in Christopher Nolan’s film the Dark Knight Rises. It’s not an important location…only the “Batcave” Yes indeed. Henrhyd falls in the Brecon Beacons is used as the entrance to Batman’s HQ. It’s a stunning waterfall, and the tallest in South Wales (at 27 metres). The falls are now more accessible to eager Batman fans wanting a glimpse behind the watery veil.

According to the latest Government figures, because such figures exist, there are 11.7 Million sheep in Wales. This means that sheep outnumber people in Wales four to one. There’s no significant comment to be made on this, other than… there’s a lot of sheep farming. You’ll understand why if you visit the mountainous valleys around areas like Snowdonia.

Some countries ignore the critical need for a greener way of thinking, but Wales is ahead of the trend, and almost twenty years ago decided to care. When the Welsh Government was formed in 1999 one of its primary aims was to encourage and support sustainable development. So much so, that it is legally bound to do so.

Zip World Velocity in North Wales boasts a zip wire that allows you to travel over 100mph, making it the fastest globally.

We’re all familiar with the Red Dragon or “Y Ddriag Goch” on the Welsh flag, but did you know that this didn’t become the official flag of Wales until 1959? Despite this, Wales has been associated with dragons for hundreds of years, with some historians claiming the Welsh flag is actually the oldest national flag still being used.

At 1,085 metres (3,560 feet) above sea level, Snowdon is the tallest peak in Wales. It’s also taller than Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England. In order to reach Snowdon’s summit, six walking routes can be taken.

You may have heard that the daffodil is the national emblem of Wales, and you wouldn’t be far wrong in thinking so. Initially, though, the national emblem of Wales was solely the leek or “Cenhinen”. The Welsh name, however, was regularly confused with another Welsh word, “Cehinen Pedr”, meaning daffodil. As a result, both the leek and daffodil are now considered the national emblems of Wales.

The two official languages of Wales are Welsh and English, with Welsh being a Celtic language that’s spoken by upwards of 20% of the population. In fact, Welsh is the mother tongue of many natives of North Wales.